Bragging Elk Poacher Busted

By: Wyoming Game and Fish

Posted on: 06/21/01

The wrong hunt area and a closed season didn't stop a Casper man from shooting a 6-point trophy elk last November southeast of Elk Mountain. That also didn't stop him from bragging about it, which proved to be his undoing.

The boasting was quickly relayed to the local game warden, who had cited the suspect two days earlier for aiding and abetting his son in the taking of an elk on private land without permission. The next day the game warden was informed by another source the same man let the elk his son shot spoil in the field.

The information resulted in Brion T. Domman, 43, being charged with taking an antlered elk out of season and without a proper license and waste and abandonment of an elk, in addition to his earlier charge of accessory to trespass.

In a plea agreement reached June 12, Domman was fined $5,000 for killing the elk with $3,500 suspended and had his hunting and fishing privileges revoked for 5 years. He was also placed on probation for 1 year, given a 30-day suspended jail sentence and fined $210 for the trespass charge.

In the agreement with the Carbon County Attorney?s Office, the waste and abandonment charge was dropped in exchange for the other guilty pleas.

The story boasted by Domman Nov. 14 sounded like a possible violation, so when a local 18-year-old University of Wyoming student heard it he informed Elk Mountain Game Warden Brian Nesvik. Further investigation and more information from an area landowner lent enough credence to the violation that Nesvik was able to obtain a search warrant.

The information and investigation also led Nesvik to a Casper area meat processor and the seizure of the meat and antlers from the poached elk, which scored 330 points on the Boone and Crockett scale.

Nesvik and fellow officers Mike Ehlebracht and Rick King interviewed Domman that night. After lengthy questioning, Domman admitted to killing the elk Nov. 1 in hunt area 11 on his area 125 license.

On Nov. 14, Nesvik was also alerted that Domman let a smaller bull elk that his son had shot spoil in the field before having it packed out the mile that was a combination of downhill and level ground. That investigation led to the waste and abandonment charges.

Domman's accessory to trespass citation resulted from a detailed report supplied by a rancher.

Nesvik commended the citizens who were involved in the case. "This case shows that when witnesses are willing to help, the state gets a conviction," he said. "You've got to hand it to the university student for being astute enough to realize a violation may have occurred and caring enough to report it. This is a perfect example of Wyoming landowners and sportsman caring enough about their wildlife resource to report even a suspected violation".

In his initial court appearance Dec. 6, Domman pleaded not guilty to all charges. Over the last six months Domman?s attorney and Carbon County Attorney Tom Campbell negotiated the plea agreement.

The meat from the poached elk was donated to a family who lost their elk and other meat in a house fire.

Comments

This relates to the news article i just commented on about the huge bull poached in Pennsyvania. It seems like the idiots who do these things just can't keep their mouth shut. That's good for the rest of us that are true hunters and obey the laws. 5,000 doesn't seem like much anymore with some of the fines that have been handed out but it looks like no matter how much the fines go up there is some slob that just does not care and does it any way.

I hope someday these cases will come to an end and people will be able to hunt and enjoy the animals within the laws that are set to ensure their future.

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